Month: January 2016

As this week’s Shabbat email arrives to your inboxes and nearly 85 million people on the East Coast have dug out of the big blizzard (named Jonas), Hannan and I are in Israel visiting our son, Mataan, who is serving in the IDF. Though Mataan has been in basic training for the last 2 months, he will participate (as we witness) his official Swearing-In ceremony next week at the Western Wall. With this in mind, today’s Shabbat email was written and sent to the system a few days early so if anything big happened in the news…well, you’re on your own.

Florentin

During Mataan’s weekends off from the army (about twice a month), he returns to his shared Tel Aviv apartment (with Josh Schaefer, who is also in the IDF and their friend, Doug) in the hip Tel Aviv neighborhood called Florentin. If you’ve been on a Tel Aviv Graffiti Art tour, this is where they take you. Florentin is the Street Art Capital of Israel. There is so much to see and experience here and each day it is growing and changing. For a sample of this vibrant area, check out this article. http://www.israel21c.org/florentin-israels-unofficial-street-art-capital/

Haifa

North of Tel Aviv, in Hannan’s hometown of Haifa, is the home to the oldest person on Earth. Yisrael Kristal, age 112, achieved this honor just last week when his predecessor died in Japan. Yisrael was from Poland where his father fought in WWI. He married, had two children and started a candy shop until the Nazis poisoned this world and sent him to various concentration camps. He survived (alone), started over and emigrated to Haifa along with this candy expertise. When asked about his dietary secret for longevity, he replied he ate what was given to him while in the camps and didn’t think too much about food, though moderation is important. Kol hakavod to his longevity.

Many of us put much more thought into our diets, than 112 year old Yisrael, and the government just assisted us with their revived dietary guideline for the next 5 years. The guidelines seem obvious like, eat more veggies, legumes, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy and protein (from fish, poultry and yes,beef) and less saturated fats, sugar and salt. Some feel political lobbying contributed to the inclusion of beef in the recommendations since many scientist feel beef consumption should be highly limited due to its connection to diabetes, stroke, heart conditions and some cancers. http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/who-s-mad-about-new-dietary-guidelines-cancer-experts-one-n492026 Maybe Detroiters should ignore all eating guidelines since (as we’ve always known), we boast the best Delis in the country: http://www.jspacenews.com/detroit-best-jewish-delis/

White Horse

We are coming down to the wire for our first presidential voting opportunity with next week’s Iowa caucus. Favorites to win areTrump and Sanders but there could be a White Horse entering the race to the White House. I thought it was only Pie in the Sky, but with the extremes on both ends gaining strength, a middle guy could steal the show. Michael Bloomberg is now taking serious steps to run as an independent candidate and will make his final decision in early March. He has my blessing… But who has Trump’s blessing. Here is a partial list of his “highly respected” endorsements. Of course let’s start with Sarah Palin. She is joined by Wayne Newton, Phyllis Schlafly (anti-feminist activist), Ann Coulter (anti-everything activist), Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, Lou Ferrigno, Mike Tyson (these last four traded brains for bulk) Stephen Baldwin, Willie Robertson (duck hunter), Loretta Lynn, Ted Nugent and Dennis Rodman (Kim Jong Un’s BFF). As the saying goes…”with friends like these, who needs enemies”.

Heroes

This past Wednesday (Jan. 27th) commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day which signifies (the 71st) anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This year Yad Vashem brought their Righteous Among the Nations Award Ceremony to the US (for the first time) and Pres. Obamahelped recognize (posthumously) four heroes: Roddie Edmonds (a US soldier held in a war camp but refused to identify the Jewish POWs to the Germans), Lois Gunden (a US teacher in France who created a safe haven for Jewish children), Walery and Maryla Zbijewski (a Polish couple who saved a Jewish mother and daughter who escaped the Warsaw Ghetto). This world could always use more Righteous behavior.

Attacks

Yes, the Jewish People are strong yet tiny minority but without non-Jewish righteous friends, maybe our survival would have been even more compromised. From the moment we’ve existed till today, our fate has been attacked. We are attacked in the streets of Europe, Tel Aviv and throughout the world. Some try to distinguish the difference between anti-semitism and anti-zionism, but I believe they are the same. Just this week, the former president of Doctors Without Borders (who was born a Jew), rationalized the French stabbing of a Kippah-ladened young man as a political attack on Israel since wearing a Kippah exhibits loyalty to Israel. His comment is full of hate on so many levels. Also, this week Germany’s Angela Merkel

expressed her concern of rising anti-semitism and not just within the Muslim community. The only weapon against the plight of attacks is having our own homeland where we can protect ourselves. I found this article an excellent explanation of the current contagious spread of Jewish hatred.

Good always wins over evil as the tables are turned on the corrupt anti-choice organization which made those highly edited and fake videos against Planned Parenthood. After a thorough and complete investigation of the accusations from the video, which was requested by the (Republican) Texas Lt. Governor, not only did a Texas Grand Juror clear

PP of any wrongdoing, it indicted two of the undercover video producer on felony charges. It always feels great when the truth is revealed. But the story isn’t over since the State of Texas is continuing their own investigation “to protect life”.

Condolences to Norm and Ruth Beitner and their family on the passing of Norm’s mother, Bertha Beitner z”l. May Bertha’s memory and spirit bring comfort to her loved ones and my she be a blessing unto her family and community.

Rest in Peace, Abe Vigoda z”l (age 94) also known as “Barney Miller”. May your memory live on…

Mazel tov to Rick Herman and Debbie Tyner on becoming grandparents to twins and all the best to new mom, Jacki.

A bit about our Holiday of Tu b’Shevat should lead this week’s message but Iran and Flint continue to hog the spotlight so I must start with them. Though they are thousands of miles apart, Iran and Flint are connected through this week’s headlines. The heavily discussed, negotiated, contemplated and criticized Iran Deal came to a head as Iran fulfilled their end of the deal by eliminating, downsizing, shipping off and curtailing their Nuclear activities (that we know of) and as a last minute bonus, released 5 American prisoner (one is a Flint native) in exchange for 7 of their guys. What they get for this deal is (the much coveted) Lifted Sanctions (so they can join the Worldwide Business Community) and Billions of Dollars(held in escrow). Superficially, Iran is “playing nice” but time will tell if they are a “sheep in wolf’s clothing”. Many are worried that they will use their newly padded wallet on scrupulous undercover activities causing an influx of support to Syria’s (murderous leader) Assad and their partner in crime, the Lebanese Terrorist group, Hezbollah.

Different Paths

Both Amir Hekmati and Robert Levinson were just two of the Americans held captive by the Iranians. But, while Amir was reunited with his Flint family, Robert’s Iranian existence is still in limbo. Robert Levinson has been missing in Iran since 2007 and his whereabouts and proof of life have tortured his family for nearly 9 years. He is the last remaining American (born Jewish, though not sure he is still part of the “Jewish Tent”) still held in Iran and his family is desperately working with anyone to obtain his release. Hopefully the current relationship with Iran will aid in their efforts. Though the US did slap another set of sanctions on companies involved in Iran’s recent (forbidden) ballistic missile tests, these are peanut sanctions compared to the lifted one, but who knows what thorns will set off Iran on a mission of revenge. Where is my optimism about this new formed “friendship”, you might ask… I’m keeping it reserved till Iran has proven, over time, their willingness to abandon their regional power ambitions and death threats against Israel.

Flint Heroes

Amir Hekmati will be returning to his headlined hometown of lead-infested Flint. A colossal mistake was made trying to save a few bucks on cheaper water with results that are now priceless to repair. Even after they switched back to the Lake Huron source (from the Flint river), water flowing into the homes was still contaminated and to add insult to injury, Flint residents continue to receive Water Bills for a “product” they can’t even use. http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/19/us/flint-water-crisis-whats-next/ Hometown celeb Michael Moore poured salt on the wound as he insinuated it was “no mistake” and the leaders purposely poisoned the citizens. While Oakland County Exec. L. Brooks Patterson said the situation was “overblown”. Neither of these statements help the nearly 9,000 childrenwho will have lifelong effects from the lead tainted water. Yes, this horrific disaster should have been avoided. Yes, there will be justified lawsuits to help these families and all the citizens of Flint. Yes, there will be State and National relief efforts to help rectify this awful situation. Yes, those responsible should take blame and “do the right thing”. A few more questions surround Darnell Earley (Flint’s former Emergency Manager) who is now the (4th) EM for Detroit Public Schools, our other big Michigan embarrassment. We can not have a Great State of Michigan without a Great City of Detroit and we can not have a Great City of Detroit without Great Detroit School!

Tu B’Shavet begins Sunday evening and celebrates our earthly best friends, The Trees. They literally give us the sustenance we need to live…Oxygen and Food. Did you know a mature tree can produce a year’s supply of oxygen for 10 adults? For more reasons to hug our trees, check out this article: http://tinyurl.com/TreeHuggingFacts Though, here in Michigan, we are deep in the middle of Winter, Tu b’Shavet (in Israel) marks the beginning of Spring and celebrations of the holiday include tree planting and Seders/Meals filled with

the fruits of our trees, including figs, nuts, pomegranates, olives and carob to mention a few.

Fresh Air

With trees and our environment in mind, POTUS (Obama) took steps recently to help transition our Coal Mining (and Coal Miners) toward a new (healthier) direction. He temporarily halted new leases of coal mines on federal land to take a serious (overdue) analysis of our coal producing policy. This energy trend (plus more emphasis on Wind and Solar) is a (literal) breath of fresh air and will hopefully help reverse the rising Heat Records we have been experiencing the last few years. 2015 was the Hottest Recorded Year since they’ve been keeping records (back in 1880). Yes, El Nino added to the heat but our man-made greenhouse gasses is the major culprit in the rising Earth’s temperature. Bravo to all efforts dealing with this issue and shame on deniers who are blinded by greed. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/01/14/obama-administration-set-to-announce-moratorium-on-some-new-federal-coal-leases/

Modern Era?

How can young men living in this modern era of the internet, space travel and medical advancements have the mentality of century old humans. Examples of this backward barbaric behavior occurred in Pakistan where a 15 year old boy (with pride from his family and community) chopped off his own hand to save himself from the sin of blasphemy after his mistaken response to his devotion to Muhammad. Thinking his teacher asked “who loves the prophet” he raised his hand but the boy didn’t hear the word “doesn’t” in the question so even though it was a mistake he needed to punish himself in order to prevent eternal condemnation in Hell. (Caution, this is a graphic article:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35341256 ) Or how about another 15 year old who thinks it OK to stab to death a mother (Dafna Meir z”l) of 6 and as her funeral was taking place, a “cousin” decides to stab a pregnant women. Yes, you recognize this ongoing behavior as something all Israelis must endure on a daily basis. 24 Israelis have been attacked and murdered in the last 14 weeks alone (an average of 2 per week). These examples are only the tip of the iceberg for killing and maiming in the name of Radical Islamic Terrorism all over the world. What allows people (their families, community, the world) to think this is acceptable? How can parents allow this corrupted brainwashing or even do the corrupting themselves? Will this barbaric behavior stop anytime soon…?

Bye, Bye Nose

Kuwait (and 16 other nations) officially do not recognize Israel as a legal country. This policy forces Kuwait Airline to deny Israelis passengers travel on their NYC to London leg which of course our US government labels as illegal discrimination. But instead of changing their “ways”, the Kuwaiti government instructed their airline to cancel their (lucrative) NYC to London route. Nothing like cutting off your nose to spite your face. http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/aviation/kuwait-airways-flight-israeli-passengers/

Happy 60th

Bill Maher turned 60 this week and all he wants for his birthday is an Obama appearance on Real Time. Not much to ask since Obama’s been on every single talk show expect Bill’s. You’ve seen him with Jay, Jon, David, Ellen, Stephen…even with Zach between two ferns, in Jerry’s car and in Mark’s garage. Bill has been a huge Obama supporter and constantly defends him on his show. I also happen to be a huge Bill fan and though he is “liberal” he is also very protective of Israel and outspoken against radical Islamic terrorism. Though invites have been sent to POTUS many times, he feels the invitations would gain seriousness with an online petition which (with my signature) is already at 263,430. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/ask-president-obama-appear-hbos-real-time-bill-maher

Bogus Claims

When someone defames you, a lawsuit is in order and that is exactly what Planned Parenthood is doing since the bogus videos regarding fetal tissue were scrutinized and found to be false. Of course, damage has been done to this lifesaving women’s health organization that took many hits to its credibility, not to mention threats (and one death) on the life of its staff due to those BS videos. Hopefully this lawsuit will set some records straight. http://www.medicaldaily.com/planned-parenthood-files-lawsuit-against-makers-debunked-anti-abortion-videos-369882

Condolences to the Krasnick family on the passing of their patriarch, William Z. Krasnick z”l (age 79). He and wife,Marjorie, created a large and loving family including sons and daughters-in-law, Dr. Neal (Sarah) Krasnick, Steven (Jodie) Krasnick, and Dr. Robert (Dr. Jane) Krasnick. Condolences also to sister, Dulcie Rosenfeld and the rest of the family. May the memory and spirit of William Krasnick bring comfort to those who knew and loved him and mourn his passing.

Condolences to Kathy and Harvey Fink and their family on the passing of Harvey’s sister, Thelma Tobie Ginsburg z”l. May her spirit and love embrace those who mourn her passing and may her memory be a blessing unto her family.

January 23rd (Saturday)

Caberet313 with the talented Jason Graae singing a tribute to Jerry Herman of famous Broadway classics.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Martin Luther King jr.

Beautiful Music Together

What do you get when you start with a James Taylor tune and mix a Jewish (The Maccabeats) a cappella group with an African American (Naturally 7) a cappella group on the DC grounds where MLK preached? The answer… this beautiful rendition of “Shed a Little Light” on MLK’s inspiration. I love this video and hope you will too:

El Chapo is one of those leaders we can do without! His despicable greedy actions have caused the death of thousands through his drug dealings. He boasts about his extensive (planes, trains and submarine) distribution system of every highly addictive and destructive contraband. This Escape-Artist / Druglord might be heading to his final “destination” in the United States, since his home country of Mexico might not fight extradition knowing they have a hard time keeping him under lock and key. Most likely his starstruck ego was be his demise since his interview with Sean Penn (for Rolling Stone Magazine) and his obsession with a “sexy” Mexican actress caused his capture. But was Sean complicit or compliant with his involvement? Did he aid in his capture or was he loyal to the secret location of his meeting. The legal question of Sean’s potential guilt (from my layperson’s understanding) is whether he will gain financially from the interview since just meeting a fugitive is OK, but profiting from the meeting with El Chapo could be illegal. A continuing saga…

In Tribute…

“…And these children that you spit on

as they try to change their worlds

are immune to your consultations

They’re quite aware of what their going through…”

David Bowie

Rest In Peace

The multi talented, David Robert Jones, best known as David Bowie (also known as Ziggy Stardust), passed away this week from (an 18 year fight with Liver) Cancer, just two days after his 69th birthday. Bowie was a part of our pop culture for five decades and his contributions to Music, Art, Fashion and Cinema (he appeared in more than 25 films) were immense and significant. He just completed his last album,Blackstar, and though it was released on the day of his birth, it reflects more about his imminent death. Here is the video to one of his final songs: Lazarus

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2006. Did you know his right eye was permanently dilated due to a childhood injury with a friend. You can see it prominently in this video of (my favorite DB tune), “Life on Mars” (which also honors Matt Damon‘s Golden Globe win in the great film, The Martian) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v–IqqusnNQ Condolences to his family and his immense fan club who are mourning his death. And bravo to Michael Dorf for producing a March tribute to the music master at Carnegie Hall:

Iran – How two small US Navy boats veered in Iranian territory is unknown (though engine trouble was suspected), but the end game was the return of all 10 (captured) sailors (9 men, 1 woman) and their vessels, which thankfully diverted a potentially volatile international crisis.

Turkey – Condolences to the 10 victims of a terrorist suicide bomb at a tourist attraction in Istanbul. Most of the victims were German nationalist vacationing in this popular part of the city and it was determined that the terrorist entered Turkey as a registered refugee from Syria.

Indonesia – With the combination of the world’s largest Muslim population and a government that is Secular (non-religious), this makes Indonesia a thorn in the side of religious extremist who want religious rule. 7 people (2 civilian and 5 terrorist) will killed in Jakarta after this week’s terrorist attack which was most likely conducted by IS/Deash and boldly aimed near the Western Coffeeshop, Starbucks.

Israel – Nearly everyday there are attacks on innocent Israeli citizens throughout the country (stabbing, shooting, car ramming, bombs…). Last Friday (after a week on the lamb), the Arab gunman who killed 2 people, was apprehended and shot as he came out of hiding while firing his gun. As Israel tries to protect her civilians with a moral compass, much of the outside world continues their double standard against her. This week’s example is Sweden, as the foreign minister calls for an investigation of Israel’s method for fighting terrorism and keeping citizens safe from stabbings. Here is her statement: “It is vital that there is a thorough, credible investigation into these deaths in order to clarify and bring about possible accountability”. Just my opinion, but, if your home is surrounded by friendly neighbors and your whole existence hasn’t been threatened by hatred and extermination, than maybe you should attempt to walk the the shoes of those you criticize before suggesting how to behave. Final note on Israel, Refua Shelma (prayer for healing) to Shimon Peres as he recovers from a mild heart attack.

Pakistan – The highly paranoid and suspicious Talibanterrorist decided to bomb a polio clinic in Southwestern Pakistan which killed 15 people since they feel polio vaccines are really a Western-led guise to sterilize Pakistani children. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two regions where Polio is still an epidemic. On a side note, bravo to Mark Zuckerberg in publicizing his daughters vaccination visit to the doctor.

China – After a heated back and forth between Chinese artist/activist Ai Weiwei and Danish company Lego, a new policy was established that they will no longer deny large quantity shipments based on political usage of their product. http://tinyurl.com/AiWeiweiLego

Germany – 5 Million copies were sold in 1939 and now the “bestseller” Mein Kampf is available again in Germany as the 70 year copyright has expired. It was written when Hitler was in a Bavarian prison and the title translates to “My Struggle”. At the cost of $64, advanced orders of 15,000 copies have been requested, 3 times more than expected. Let’s hope readers are learning the evil lesson of this literary “masterpiece” to prevent a repeat of History.

England – After a four-month courtship, Rupert and Jerryhave decided to get hitched. Yes, that’s newspaper mogul, Rupert Murdoch (age 84) and Mick’s ex, supermodel, Jerry Hall (age 59). This will create step-siblings for 10 offsprings between the two of them. Do you think a pre-nup will be signed?

The United States

NYC – After nearly 2 years of attempting US journalism, plus the purchase of Al Gore’s Current TV for $1/2 Billion, adding to their distress of low viewership and a dip in Oil Revenues, Al Jazeera America will be closing up shop and moving out of its Manhattan Center headquarters. Though jobs will be lost, not too many tears will be shed. And in another part of NYC, bravo to Mayor Cuomo on starting the discussion to renovate Penn Station. And this last NYC tidbit involves the former popular Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his secret poll to determine his chances as an Independent candidate for our upcoming presidential election, though this might just be “pie in the sky”.

Michigan – As we continue to make headlines for our Detroit revitalization, we sadly are in the national news for our disastrous (lead poisoning) water crisis in Flint as the National Guard and Fema were called upon to help. It will take time to determine who’s to blame and how the victims will be compensated but in the meantime, Flint residents must suffer through sickness, grief and concern for the future health of their children and the newest development is that the water could also be the cause of an outbreak of Legionnaires disease. http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/health/flint-michigan-water-crisis/ Also, Detroit Public Schools is under fire as many of our school buildings are in complete disaray. This week teachers staged a “sickout” to force the Mayor to take action. After Mayor Duggan visited several dilapidated building, he promised a full inspection of all 97 building to determined needed rehabilitation.

Condolences to Sue and Alan Kaufman and their family on the passing of Alan’s sister, Judie Diane Kaufman z”l. May her memory and spirit bring comfort to those who knew and loved her.

Condolences to the large family of Stanley Satovsky z”l on his passing this week. Sending love and hugs to Caryn and Ron Siegel, Dana and Eric Coffman, Rhonda and Steven Satovsky, Phyllis Satovsky, Susu Sosnick and the rest of the family as they remember Stanley’s impact on their lives and mourn his death. May his long life, spirit and love bring comfort to their sorrow and may his life be a blessing unto all who loved him.

Rest in Peace talented British actor, Alan Rickman (age 69) who passed away this week from Cancer. My favorite role of his was in the film Love Actually, though he was most famous for his roles in the Harry Potter movies among many others.

January 23rd (Saturday)

Caberet313 with the talented Jason Graae singing a tribute to Jerry Herman of famous Broadway classics.

As we commenced our first full business week of the year, much has happened in the world. The Saudis and Iranians are “bickering”, a crazed gunman killed 2 Israelis in Tel Aviv, Natalie Cole passed away, armed militia in Oregon, North Korea tested its “strength” and Jerry took Barack for a drive.

Second Amendment

Speaking of Obama, he is officially in his “Senior Year” and committed to addressing a deadly issue that has alluded progress during his tenure. 30,000 gun deaths occurred in our nation yearly. And five years ago this week, Gabby Giffords was shot at one of her rallies. Gun violence is an epidemic in our country and after much frustration with Congress’ inaction, President Obama announced his 4 point Executive Actionplan which includes:

1. Tightening the laws on Background Checks for all businesses which profit from gun sales. No matter the sales venue (like Gun Shows or Online), “Gun Profiters” must have a licence and conduct background checks. Also, updating the current Background Check system will be a priority.

2. Adding 200 more ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm) agents to help enforce current gun laws.

3. Adding $1/2 Billion to Mental Health initiatives and removing communication barriers to ease reporting on individuals who shouldn’t be allowed to own or purchase a firearm. Sadly, Guns (in the US) are responsible for 50% of all suicides.

4. Encouraging Gun Safety technology, like better childproofing and tracking abilities of lost or stolen guns. For more details on these actions, please consult this Fact Sheet:

But Barack was also having some fun in recent weeks as he accepted a ride from Jerry Seinfeld in his 1963 Corvette Stingray. Did you know all 1960s astronauts drove Corvettes…That’s Cool. Unfortunatly, those pesky Secret Service protectors prevented and actual Beltway Dream Cruise but instead they were resigned to a few laps around the WH driveway, an inside look at the POTUS Residence and some witty repartee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cOLF9k6FAw

Muslim Infighting

Though it’s not too advantageous for those in the middle of the conflict, I sure hope the infighting between Sunni and Shiitetakes focus off their efforts against Israel and Western Democracy. To just skim the surface of this centuries old conflict, the Saudis, who are mainly Sunni, executed (of course by the “modern” means of beheading) a Shiite Cleric (and 46 others that day) which angered the Iranians who are mostly Shiite. After much Tit for Tat and while other Muslim countries picked their side, the growing tension between SA and Iran is intensifying. 90% of the Muslim world is Sunni with the majority of Shiites living in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon. The rift started during Mohammed’s time when the two factions fought over who should succeed their Prophet. In the meantime, millions of Muslims have been killed over this conflict and most likely million more will continue to die before Sunni and Shiite (ever) make peace. If you are interested in a simple to understand tutorial on these branches of Islam, please click here. It is interactive so you can see both their differences and the similarities:

A crazed Arab gunman with a criminal track record rampaged a Tel Aviv bar, killing the manager and a customer. For a small country with not a lot of hiding space, he is still on the loose (as of Thursday evening). His family is cooperating with Israeli authorities and a $10,000 reward is offered for any info. There is a belief he is hiding in the West Bank as Israel has asked the Palestinian Authority for assistance in finding him.

North Korea for faking a Hydrogen Bomb test. Through analysis, the fallout doesn’t match nuclear levels but whatever they tested was still an unnecessary act of aggression.

BS to…

The few dozen armed anti-government militia (headed by the Bundy brothers) who took over an Oregon Wildlife Reserve to force the government to return land to Ranchers so they can return to the logging, mining, ranching, farming of their “Heyday”. Currently, the governmental action is to avoid them entirely as the Bundys and their gang would love nothing more than a high profile shootout with the authorities.

BS to…

Our Congress, who has returned from vacation and returned their focus on (the time/energy suck of) repealing ObamaCareand defunding Planned Parenthood. Even with support of both the House and Senate, the bill will obviously be vetoed by the POTUS. Which begs the question, why waste taxpayers dollars on this wasted effort.

The new (Wild West) Texas law giving the right to licensed gun owners to openly carry their firearm, though several Texas business and institutions might also call BS on this law and prevent open carry in their establishments.

What would you like to see as a future Headline (anytime in the future and any country’s Headline) ?

For example, mine might be…

“Detroit Public Schools rise to Top 10 in the Nation”

Condolences to the family and friends of Donna Ruth Sklar z”l. As an active community participant, her impact was greatly appreciated and will be missed. Thoughts and prayers go to the loving family she created; Karen and Vernon Gordon, Stuart and Donna Sklar, Val Sklar and all her grandchildren. May her spirit and love bring comfort to those who mourn her passing.

January 23rd(Saturday)

Caberet313 with the talented Jason Graae singing a tribute to Jerry Herman of famous Broadway classics.

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better person.”

– Benjamin Franklin

El Nino Effect

Welcome to the first day of 2016. The transition from 2015-2016 was dominated by the weather phenom of El Nino which caused flooding, tornadoes, snow/rain/sleet storms and record high temps. 44 people have lost their lives to this deadly weather. Even our neighbors across the Sea are feeling the effects as Storm Frank crashes at the shores of Great Britain. Wishing for calmer weather (in all aspects of our lives) in 2106.

Daesh vs. Israel

This week, ISIS/Daesh has officially (in Hebrew and English) declared their intended decimation of our Jewish Homeland and pleaded for Muslims to join the “movement”. Concerning their attack against Israel, they need to get in line as this isn’t the first threat against us. Even, many in the European community won’t bat an eye at this rhetoric since some, like theSwedish Foreign Minister, the Dutch Socialist Party leader, theGerman mayor of Jena and a Greek Parliamentarian think Israel is to blame for the world’s woes. Contrary to their threat against Israel, a German journalist (crazy as it seems) was embedded (and came out alive) deep in ISIS territory and learned one obvious fact. ISIS/Daesh think they can conquer all armies (including the US) accept the IDF. The only army they fear is Israel’s. http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/1.694247

Switching gears…we did not attend this year’s White House Hanukah party, but we did hear the concerns and misunderstanding about the woman rabbi who helped light the Hanukiyah (Hanukah Menorah). Some called her anti-Israel because of her progressive stance. With aggressive campaigning by pro-palestinian activist to world liberals, it seems, the larger progressive movement is trending toward Palestinian sympathy. Rabbi Susan Talve is from St. Louis and became involved with the Black Lives Mattermovement early on since her city was at the heart of the violence. But Rabbi Talve is also pro-Israel and an AIPAC supporter. When the BDS pro-Palestinian movement courted Black Lives Matter to their “side”, many Jews supporting BLM were targeted as outcasts. This whole argument about being progressive And supportive of Israel is coming to a head as the BDS movement continues to push its lie and portray Israel as an Apartheid state. “Yes Virginia”, you can be both progressive and pro-Israel:

But apparently the progressive feminist movement has “drunk” (yes, using that word purposely) the anti-Israel koolaid. It doesn’t really matter to them that Israel is the most gender equal society in the Middle East and their women’s rights are equivalent to (or exceed) all western societies. The largest feminist academic organization has joined the BDS movement.“Sorry Virginia”, your people have spoken:

Onto to some (relatively) good news. Finally the 52 victims (or their families) of the Iranian Hostage Crisis will be compensated for their 444 days in captivity. They are to receive $10,000 for each day which adds up to $4.4 million.

37 hostages are still alive and the families of the deceased victims will receive $600,000. Also, making amends (sort of) is the Japanese government to the South Korean women who were forced to become sex slaves for their Japanese soldiers during WWII. A fund of 1 Billion Yen ($8.3 Million) will be set up for the victims. An estimated 200,000 women were forced to be “Comfort Women”. Only a few dozen are still alive but for them, the issue of admitting guilt, apologizing and teaching the truth in history books is more of a concern than the money.

The despicable Dallas teen and his mother who fled the country after the teen broke his probation is the most perturbing news of the week. But why was the teen on probation…because at age 16 he drunkenly drove and killed 4 people for which he only got probation based on his BS defense of “affluenza” (the irresponsibility of actions due to affluence). Mom and son hauled their butts down to Mexico and the mom was forced to return but the son is still south of the border. Hopefully both will see some court time/jail time soon. And speaking of court, finally, Bill Cosby will have his time in the hot seat to answer for the decades of assault accusations.

Farewell to the beloved losses of 2015

Yogi Berra age 90

Oliver Sacks age 82

Frank Gifford age 84

Omar Sharif age 83

Jerry Weintraub age 77

Dean Jones age 84

Cynthia Lennon age 75

Mario Cuomo age 82

Samuel Goldwyn Jr. age 88

Lesley Gore age 68

Leonard Nimoy age 83

Jackie Collins age 77

Theodore Bikel age 91

B.B. King age 89

Ben E. King age 76

Percy Sledge age 74

My music selection for this week is a holiday-themed duet by dear friends (of each other, not me) Zooey Deschanel andJoseph Gordon-Levitt, entitled “What are you doing New Year’s Eve?”. It was originally a Nancy Wilson song and these BFFs enlighten the song with beautiful harmony.

All 6 years of emails were transferred to the blog by the trustworthy Jessica Meyer (thanks Jessica) and all future emails will be posted there too. Comments, commentary and conversation are also welcome on the blog.

Condolences to Rick and Julie Zussman and their family on the passing of Rick’s beloved mother, Lois Zussman z”l.

Lois was a sweet and lovely lady who was married to her husband Milton Zussman for 52 years as they built a large family and contributed immensely to our grateful community.

Condolences to Jodie and Steven Krasnick and their family on the passing of Jodie’s father, Arthur J. Recht z”l.

May his memory and spirit bring comfort to those who knew and loved him and may he be a blessing onto his community.

Rest in peace, legendary Harlem Globetrotter, Meadowlark Lemon (age 83), dubbed the best basketball player of all time but Wilt Chamberlain. Condolences to his 10 children and all his fans throughout the world.

January 23rd(Saturday)

Caberet313 with the talented Jason Graae singing a tribute to Jerry Herman of famous Broadway classics.

“Another one bites the dust” (as Queen would sing) since former NY governor George Pataki has bowed out (he was polling at rock bottom). Down to lucky 11. Who will be the next to fall? I predict Santorum.